


SVS2-11: Guardians of the Gate

by 852_Prospect_Archivist



Category: The Sentinel, The X-Files
Genre: Angst, Drama, M/M, Series, crossovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-10
Updated: 2013-05-10
Packaged: 2017-12-11 09:26:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/796612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/852_Prospect_Archivist/pseuds/852_Prospect_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mysterious artifact with a deadly secret is stolen from the National Archeology Museum Of Cascade, FBI Agents Mulder and Scully are hot on the trail.</p>
            </blockquote>





	SVS2-11: Guardians of the Gate

## SVS2-11: Guardians of the Gate

by Carlito

Author's website:  <http://www.squidge.org/5Senses/>

The Sentinel Slash Virtual Season is based on characters and concepts developed by, and belonging to, Pet Fly Productions. The episodes of SVS are intended for private, personal enjoyment only. No money is being made, or will be allowed to be made, by any of the SVS authors or by FiveSenses, Inc. from the writing and distribution of these episodes. Any original characters introduced in an SVS episode belongs to the episode author and to FiveSenses, Inc. and should not be used without their permission.

Note on Safe Sex: Episodes of SVS may contain depictions of consensual m/m sex. These depictions may or may not be accompanied by specific mention of items necessary for safe and healthy intercourse. It is the intention of FiveSenses, Inc. and all SVS authors that, even when such items are not explicitly mentioned, their use is to be assumed as a matter of course. All of us at FiveSenses, Inc. are aware of the risks of unprotected sex in today's world and strongly advocate the practice of safe sex, including the use of condoms and other protective devices.

This story is a sequel to: SVS2-10: Fathers of the Bride 

* * *

Author's E-mail: carlito250@hotmail.com Author's Webpage: <http://www.geocities.com/carlitoinc/>

A special thanks to Corbeau for her excellent beta. 

* * *

**GUARDIANS OF THE GATE**  
by Carlito 

* * *

Tobias McFee was sitting at his desk in the library, entering into his computer a list of the new books he had received that morning. The phone rang and he reached for it automatically. "Tobias McFee." 

"Tobias, hi." 

"Hi, Ant..." He started to say before being cut off by his friend. 

"No! Please. Don't say my name," said Antoine Delacroix. 

"Why? Is something wrong?" 

"Yes... No... Um, not yet. Look, I can't talk long." The Frenchman's voice was low, as if he were whispering, but he was talking fast. "I -- I'm sending you something vital that you need to keep safe for me." 

"No problem. What is it?" asked Tobias. 

"I can't tell you on the phone. But everything will be in the box. Please... don't talk about this to anyone. It's really important." 

"Of course. You can count on me." 

"Thank you, Tobias. I knew I could trust you. Um... in case anything happens to me, I -- I just wanted you to know that you've been the best friend I've ever had." And Antoine hung up. 

Puzzled, McFee stared at the receiver in his hand and felt his eyes begin to fill with tears. He was overcome by a sudden sense of dread -- an irrational fear that he would never again hear his best friend's voice. He had known Antoine for more than seventy years. Although Antoine's distant ancestors came originally from South America, his grandparents and parents had grown up in France. The family had immigrated to the USA when he was two. Antoine and Tobias had both been born in 1920, had gone to the same schools, and had always been friends. Tobias had married Antoine's sister and Antoine had married Tobias's sister. They were family as well as best friends. Now Tobias wondered if he would ever see him again. 

Taking a deep breath, he hung up the phone and let the tears run freely down his cheeks. "Why?" he asked aloud. He thought about his wife, his daughter, his young friend who had been killed by Maya Carasco. "Denise, Paula, Judith. Is Antoine next? What have I done to deserve so much loss in my life?" 

The phone rang again startling him. He rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat, then picked it up. "Tobias McFee." 

"Hi, Tobias. It's Blair." 

A sweet smile appeared on the old man's face when he heard the voice of the young man. "Hello, Blair. How are you doing? And how is that detective of yours?" 

"Uh, Jim and I are both fine, thank you. How are you doing?" 

Tobias had had an accident a few weeks before Judith was killed. He'd been hit by a car and his hip had been broken. Since then he remained in a wheelchair and was recovering very slowly. 

"It still hurts but I'm starting to walk again. Oh, just a few steps a day, you know. I still need the wheelchair, but it's getting much better." 

"I'm glad to hear that. Um, Tobias, I'm calling because we'd like to have dinner with you. We've talked about it a lot but never set up a date, so..." 

"I'd be delighted to have you two to dinner." 

"Oh, no, you don't have to do that. We thought we could pick you up one day and have a nice evening at the loft," Blair offered. 

"That's a wonderful idea, but let me return the favor soon. I have a cottage in the outskirts of Vancouver, just a few hours away from Cascade. What do you think about a little fishing weekend?" 

"That's great. Thank you, Tobias. I'll talk to Jim about it. So when do you want me to pick you up?" asked Blair. 

"How about Friday?" Tobias asked. "I hope that won't disturb your plans?" 

"No, don't worry. We don't have any plans for Friday." 

"All right then. I'll see you then, my boy." 

"Seven o'clock?" asked Blair. 

"Seven o'clock." 

"G'bye, Tobias." 

"Goodbye, and please say hello to James." 

"Will do," said Blair, a smile in his voice. 

Tobias leaned back in his chair, his back aching from too many hours spent sitting. He was happy at the prospect of dinner with Jim and Blair but couldn't release the tension he'd been feeling since he'd spoken with Antoine. It seemed as if the whole world were resting on his shoulders -- but he decided to be strong. No matter what might happen he was going to be there for his best friend. But he feared that something bad was coming. 

* * *

Jim turned off the shower. Drying himself quickly then wrapping a towel loosely around his waist, he headed toward the living room. Blair was sitting on the couch wearing a pair of jeans and a snug white tee-shirt. Only the glasses perched on the tip of his nose and his wild hair belied the inadvertent James Dean imitation. Jim was a sucker for that sexy Fifties look. 

Blair's head lifted at the approach of his lover, and their eyes met. Jim heard him swallow, and his heartbeat speed up. He could also smell the change in the smaller man's scent signaling arousal. 

"Jeez, Jim, warn a guy, will you?" said Blair, licking his lips. 

"Scared you, Chief?" 

"Scared me? You kidding? I'm talking about that," said the younger man, waving his index finger in the general direction of Jim's body. 

"About what?" asked Jim, playing the innocent. 

"That!" insisted Blair, pointing at the muscular body once again. "Should be prohibited." 

"Oh. Towel! The towel should be prohibited. 'Kay. Got it," said Jim, a smirk on his face, as he dropped the towel. 

Blair closed his book and put it down on the table. He stood up and approached the naked vision. "Dick!" 

"Right here, Chief," said Jim, grabbing his lover's hand and placing it on his growing erection. 

Blair's fist closed around the hot flesh that pulsed and hardened beneath his fingers. He slid his other hand behind Jim's neck and pulled him down into a hungry kiss. 

"You know what?" asked Jim, when their lips finally parted. 

"No, what?" 

"You're wearing way too many clothes, Sandburg." 

"It's funny how you keep telling me that." 

"Hey! Not my fault I'm butt naked here. Fair is fair, Junior." 

"Always complaining. Always complaining," grumbled Blair. He released his lover's cock and headed towards the stairs. When he was almost at the top, he stopped and turned back to look at Jim who hadn't moved a muscle. "What?" 

"Nothing. Just that you have the most amazing ass I've ever seen." 

"So come and get it already!" said Blair. Then he turned back and climbed the last steps. 

* * *

"Jim?" asked Blair, sliding his index finger around Jim's left nipple. 

"Um?" came the semi-articulate reply. 

"I called Tobias while you were in the bathroom." 

"Tobias? How is he?" 

"Fine. He says 'Hi'." 

"It's so sad what happened to him. He's a good man." 

"Yes, he is. Jim? I invited him for dinner. Friday is okay, right?" 

"Yeah. Why would it be a problem?" asked Jim, sliding his fingers into his lover's hair. 

"Mm, dunno. He also proposed that we go up to his cottage in Vancouver for the weekend sometime." 

"Hey, that's great. I like the guy," said Jim, sliding his hand from Blair's hair to his shoulders. 

"Like... him... too..." mumbled Blair, now sucking the nipple he had been playing with a few moments ago. 

Jim moaned and Blair climbed on top of him. He bit gently on the hard nub, then blew on it, feeling the tremors in Jim's body. Licking languorously, he traced his way down the muscular body, alternately sucking, biting, licking and kissing. Closing his fingers around the base of Jim's penis, he took the head gently into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it, dipping the tip into the slit. 

Groaning Jim bit his bottom lip. He threaded his fingers into Blair's hair and pulled him closer. 

Blair took the whole length of Jim's penis into his mouth deep-throating him. He closed his other hand around his own cock and started to stroke himself in rhythm with his sucking on Jim's cock. It didn't take long for both of them to come -- Jim arching his back and releasing his seed into Blair's warm mouth and Blair shooting his onto his belly, his chest, and the sheets. 

Finally he let Jim's softened cock slip from his mouth, grabbed some tissues from the nightstand and cleaned himself. Then he threw the tissues in the trashcan and crawled up his lover's body. Jim was already asleep so he rested his head on the gently moving chest and sighed happily. 

"Love you, Jim," he whispered, and dropped a tender kiss on his sleeping beauty's lips. He soon followed him into slumber. 

* * *

Tobias woke up and busied himself with his morning ritual -- bath, tea, breakfast and newspaper. As he skimmed the front page one of the headlines caught his attention and he read the article carefully. 

_Mystery Artifact Stolen_

_Last night part of a legendary golden amulet was stolen from the National Archeology Museum of Cascade. The semicircular piece, representing the Moon, is one of the four sections of the Owichika Amulet, better known as the "Amulet of Chaos." Two parts of the amulet are held by unidentified private individuals said to act as "guardians" of these pieces. The two remaining sections, generally considered the most beautiful, were on long-term loan to museums, protected by sophisticated alarm systems and guards. Last night's theft prompted the owner of the other of these pieces, a necklace with a carved ring, to remove it from a New York museum where it had been on display._

_An unusual legend has long been associated with the object. It claims the four parts, when put together, form a lethal weapon. If this happens the world will supposedly end in chaos at the hands of the one who dared to open "the gates of the skies." Local UFOlogist Bruno Speen expressed hope that the amulet will never be re-formed. Members of his organization, the Cascade UFO Society, contend that "the safety of the whole world is at stake."_

_Dr. Gerald Somerset, Director of the Museum, scoffs at tales of legendary powers. "The artifact is solid gold," he notes. "I don't think anyone needs to seek any motive beyond financial gain." Police are investigating the theft, but report no leads at present. Anyone with knowledge of the crime should contact the Major Crime division of the Cascade Police Department. You need not give your name._

Tobias put the newspaper down, his hands shaking, and sighed deeply. "Oh God, please help us." 

* * *

"Want some juice?" asked Jim. 

"Uh, huh," answered Blair absentmindedly from behind his newspaper. 

"Your eggs are getting cold." 

"Uh, huh." 

Jim shook his head in amazement. Blair had apparently found something in the newspaper so engrossing that his breakfast was congealing. 

"More coffee?" he asked, knowing perfectly that Blair's cup was still full... something really unusual at this time of the morning. 

"Uh, huh," said Blair again. 

Okay. Plan B. 

"I'm pregnant," said Jim, trying his best to sound serious. 

Blair folded the corner of the newspaper down to peer above it. He stared at Jim, one eyebrow arched, but said nothing. Then he unfolded the corner and turned back to his reading. 

"Ooo-kay," said Jim. "Sandburg! What the hell is going on?" 

Blair held up his index finger, motioning to Jim to wait just one more minute. Jim sighed and waited. 

Suddenly the newspaper lowered slowly and a pale anthropologist appeared from behind it. "Oh, shit!" 

"What?" asked Jim, now worried. 

"I can't believe it. One piece of the Owichika Amulet has been stolen. Man, this is _so_ not good. This amulet is like, wow! I can't believe it's been stolen. What were they doing in that museum? Playing cards or something? I mean, come on... who'd let a piece of the Owichika Amulet be stolen. It's like..." 

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Easy, Chief. The Chiquita amulet? What the hell is that? Start the story from the beginning, in slow motion?" 

"'Owichika', not 'Chiquita'. It's an amulet, not a banana. Anyway it's also known as the 'Amulet of Chaos'." 

"Nice," said Jim. 

Blair shot him a glance and Jim smiled. "Okay, Okay. Go on." 

"The amulet consists of four parts that have been dispersed around the globe over the years. Two were in museums, the other ones are kept secretly somewhere by individual owners. Not together, of course." 

"Of course." 

"Jim!" said Blair impatiently. 

Jim motioned his lover to continue and decided to hear the whole story. 

"Where was I? Ah, yes. If the four parts are put together and the amulet is recreated, it will open 'the gates of the skies' and the world will be destroyed by some alien weapon." 

Jim couldn't believe his hears. "Okay -- I think you've seen too many episodes of _Buffy_ and _Roswell_. No more TV for you, Spooky. You're thirty-one. Get real. Amulets... chaos... 'gates of the skies'... aliens... What else? Devils and vampires? Come on!" 

"Jim, I'm not saying it's true. But as an anthropologist, I studied all those legends. There are versions of the story all over South and Central America. The amulet has been feared ever since it was made... made in solid gold, by the way." 

"Sounds like a good motive to me," said Jim, sipping at his coffee. 

"Yeah... but it's also possible the person who stole it did it because he believes the legend." 

Jim struck a pose. "So he can -- dare I say it? Rule the world?" 

"Very funny. Your Vincent Price imitation leaves a lot to be desired." 

"Well, it doesn't matter if it's true or not. We can't do much without any leads, Chief. It's not we can go around searching the whole city for that thing," said Jim, pointing to the picture of the amulet in the newspaper. "It's probably not even in Cascade any more." 

"I know. But I'd just like to stay updated on this," said Blair, finally taking a bite of his cold scrambled eggs. 

* * *

Just as Jim and Blair were removing their jackets, Simon's door opened and they heard their Captain bellow. 

"Ellison! Sandburg! My office, now!" 

Jim looked at his watch. "Five minutes late, it's not _that_ bad." 

Blair just shrugged his shoulders and they made their way to Simon's office. Jim knocked and they waited. 

"Get in here," shouted Simon from inside his lair. 

They obeyed. "Sorry, Sir. We're late, but..." Jim started to say. 

"Leave the door open; the ventilation in here is getting cranky again. You know I didn't call you in for tardiness. I can't help it if you can't get the kid outta bed faster," he said, smiling. 

"Hey!" said Blair. " _He_ was the one staying in bed. I almost had to put him in the shower still asleep." 

"Asleep? That's a load of..." 

"Okay! Okay! Stop right now. I've heard enough," said Simon, raising a hand. 

The three men smiled, but Simon quickly became serious again. 

"Well, gentlemen. I didn't call you in here to talk about your domestic arrangements. Did you hear about the theft from the museum?" asked Simon. 

Blair and Jim shared a look. "Yeah. I had a whole lecture about it this morning," said Jim. His reward was a nudge in the ribs. 

"Fine. Well, this is more officious than official, but..." began Simon, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He presented the pot to Jim and Blair who shook their heads. "I have this friend who's the Assistant Director of the FBI. He called and asked me if I could put my best men on the investigation." 

Blair was literally bouncing on his feet. "Great! Cool! Thank you, Simon." 

"Yeah, thanks," said Jim sarcastically. 

"Oh, come on, Jim. It'll be great," enthused Blair, smacking Jim on the shoulder. 

"Will you stop hitting me?" said Jim, pretending to be irritated. "Wonderful. After ghosts, we're gonna chase aliens," he complained, sliding his palm over his face. 

"It won't be aliens. What we're going to search for is an amulet," said the woman who stood in the doorway. 

"And who might you be?" asked Jim. 

"Special Agent Dana Scully, FBI," said the woman, showing them her ID. "And this is my partner, Special Agent Fox Mulder." 

"Ah, the Feds. It's getting better and better," said Jim. "Any more surprises?" 

"I'm sure AD Skinner told you we were coming," said Scully. 

"Yes," said Simon. "I just hadn't had the time to tell them yet." 

Jim was in his full 'Don't-come-closer-or-I'll-bite' mode, doing a very good pit bull imitation. Blair decided some tension relief was in order. He approached the petite redheaded agent and smiled engagingly. "Hi, my name's Blair Sandburg." 

"Mister Sandburg, I'm Dana Scully," she said, shaking his hand. 

"Please. Call me Blair." 

"Mister Sandburg," she insisted. "I've been told you're not a detective?" 

Blair thought he would have to jump on his lover to prevent him from going into full defensive mode. He touched Jim lightly the arm just as he stood up and stepped in between Blair and the Feds. He towered above the woman who looked even more petite compared to Jim in all his pissed-off glory. 

"No, he's not a detective, but he's my partner. You got a problem with that?" 

"No. Not at all. Detective...?" she said, and waited. 

"Ellison. Detective James Ellison." 

"Well, Detective Ellison, nice to meet you," said Dana, holding out her hand. 

Jim relaxed slightly. "Nice to meet you too, ma'am. Sorry, it's been an odd morning," said Jim, shaking Scully's hand. 

"You can say that again," agreed Mulder, stepping into the game and talking for the first time. 

They shook hands all around, then turned to face Simon. 

"Well. Agent Scully, Agent Mulder, I'm Captain Simon Banks. We appreciate your cooperation with this department. This is my best team. Don't let Detective Ellison fool you; he likes to play the tough guy. I hope our collaboration will be effective and we'll find the piece of the amulet and the burglar. My secretary will give you copies of what information we have." 

"Thank you, sir," said Scully. "We appreciate your help." 

Simon smiled and dismissed them. "That will be all, gentlemen. Ma'am." 

They left Captain Banks's office with Blair leading the way. "If you'll follow me, we can go to the break room. We'll be more comfortable talking there for now." 

Jim watched the two FBI agents follow his partner, then he headed to Rhonda's desk. "Hi, Rhonda. You have the files on the robbery at the museum?" 

"Yes. The Chiqui... Oki... the amulet?" she said smiling. 

"Yep." 

"Here you go, Jim," said Rhonda, giving the detective four folders. "Enough for everyone." 

He walked very slowly into the break room. He didn't like it when the Feds were around. When he opened the door, he found Sandburg in the middle of a lecture about the amulet, sharing stories and anecdotes with Mulder. Scully, on the other hand, seemed to have the same headache as the one starting to crawl up Jim's skull. He smiled sympathetically at her and put the files on the table. "Here you go. There's a copy for each of us." 

Scully opened her briefcase and put some files onto the table. "And this is what we have." 

_Feds sharing info with cops?! Must be the Twilight Zone,_ thought Jim, bemused, as they opened the files and started to go through them. They set about sharing their respective info, taking notes, making summaries, pinpointing details. 

Two hours and six coffees later, Blair took his glasses off and put them on the table. "Well, if you'll excuse me, that coffee is taking its toll on me," he said, standing up. 

"I guess I need a break too," said Jim. "Do you need anything?" he asked Mulder and Scully. 

"No, thanks," said Mulder. "I think I've had enough coffee too." 

"I'm fine," said Scully, rubbing her eyes. 

Blair and Jim left and headed toward the men's room. 

* * *

Mulder stood up, approached the vending machine and started to search for something. 

"Hey, Scully, you think they're...?" he asked after a little while. 

"They're what, Mulder?" 

"You know..." he said, making a little hand motion. 

"No, I don't." 

"Doing it," he insisted. 

"Doing what?" 

When Mulder didn't answer, Scully finally understood where her partner was going and laughed. "Mulder! You have a one-track and perverted mind! We just met them." 

"Doesn't change anything. I tell you, Scully, those two are doing it," he said. Then he resumed his search for a snack. "Shit. They don't even have sunflower seeds," he finally said. 

Scully shook her head and opened her briefcase again. She removed something and held it out for her partner. "Mulder..." 

He turned back and saw the sunflower seed packet in her hand. "What would I do without you?" he asked, taking the packet and opening it. "Want one?" 

"No, thanks," she replied. 

* * *

Jim and Blair stood next to each other in the otherwise empty men's room. 

"So, Jim?" 

"What?" he asked glancing sideways. 

"You think they're doing it?" 

"What?" 

"Mulder and Scully... you think they're doing it?" he repeated while zipping up his pants. 

They moved to the sinks. "You can't stop thinking about sex, can you, Chief?" Jim said. 

"Hey! Was just wondering, you know." 

"Let's go, Cupid," said Jim, dropping a quick kiss on his lover's slightly parted lips and heading for the door. 

"Jim! You didn't answer my question!" said Blair, trotting along behind. 

"I know." 

* * *

Tobias sat in his wheelchair, a book about the amulet spread over his lap. He carefully studied the illustrations of the four pieces, each of which represented something meaningful. The half circle that had been stolen represented 'the Moon'. The left quarter of the circle symbolized the 'Place Beyond the World'; the other quarter 'Sky'. The neckpiece with its carved ring was designed to support the other pieces and represented 'Earth'. 

Each piece had its own history, and each was believed to have been created -- or at least discovered -- at a different period of time. It had taken hundreds of years for all the pieces to appear. Of the many legends that purported to explain their origins, an Inca tale was the most intriguing. It said that every fifty years a piece had been sent to a tribal guardian by the Huaca of the Two Rivers. Since the Inca conceptualized the Milky Way as two rivers, this reference caused the _Chariots of the Gods_ set to claim the amulet was of alien origin. Others scoffed at the idea, pointing out that concepts of sky gods were almost universal in world mythology. If one assumed they were all space aliens, Earth would be the O'Hare Airport of the galaxy -- unlikely for a planet in what amounted to the galactic boondocks. 

Tobias had just begun to read about the chaos that would supposedly ensue if the amulet were re-formed when someone knocked on his door. He put his book down and wheeled himself to the door. 

"Who is it?" he asked. 

"UPS. I have a package for you." 

Tobias rose shakily from his chair to look through the peephole. The familiar brown uniform looked authentic, so he opened the door. 

The deliveryman smiled down at the old man and gently handed him the package. 

"Thank you, young man. Do I need to sign something?" 

"Right here, Sir, that's it. Have a good day." 

"Good day," replied Tobias, wheeling back into the living room and closing the door behind him. 

He carefully examined the box. The small packet, about the size of a book, was from Antoine. 

Opening the box, he removed the soft scarf it contained and felt something hard inside it. He unfolded the scarf and his face went white. Within it was the biggest part of the amulet, the necklace with the carved ring -- the part that had been removed from a museum by its guardian just after the theft of the half circle. There was also a letter. Tobias unfolded it with trembling hands and began to read. 

_My dear friend, these are probably the last words you'll hear from me. When you receive this letter, I will probably be dead. No, don't be sorry. I had a great life, everything that I could have wanted... a wonderful wife and a best friend who was more than a brother to me. I also had work that I loved. I have just one more thing to accomplish in my life... to protect the biggest piece of the amulet. It has belonged to our family since its beginning -- one of my ancestors was the watchman to whom it was given. Unfortunately I know I have been watched recently, and I also know that the amulet won't be secure with me. I removed it from the museum to entrust it to you. Would you watch over it for me? You are the best friend I've ever had. Thank you. Your friend forever. Antoine_

* * *

When Jim and Blair came back in the break room, Mulder and Scully were sitting at the table, showing the same exhaustion on their faces that Jim and Blair displayed. 

"Time to go get something to eat," said Jim. "Then I'd like to go to the museum." 

"Okay. Lead the way," said Mulder. 

They put their files back into their folders and briefcase and left the PD. When they reached the parking garage, Jim and Blair took Jim's truck, Mulder and Scully their rental car. 

They went to _Nature's Delights_ at Blair's suggestion, Jim complaining all the way but giving in to his lover's request. They were seated near an aquarium with salt-water fish which seemed to fascinate Mulder. The place was beautiful, painted a soothing cream. The decor consisted of cane chairs, nice green tables, and a lot of plants. On the walls were posters of Mother Nature's wonders from all over the world -- Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls, El Salto del Angel and other waterfalls. The air was fresh and cool and soft music, probably one of Greenpeace's CDs, was playing. 

Jim felt better immediately and lost some of his tension, as if the place had a relaxing effect on him. He smiled at Blair, silently thanking his guide for bringing him here, his initial reluctance forgotten. Scully smiled appreciatively. 

Mulder frowned as he checked the menu. Only fresh, healthy food -- no hamburgers, French fries or other greasy stuff. "Haven't these people ever heard of cheeseburgers?" he complained. 

Blair regaled the group with his most lurid Wonderburger horror stories while they ordered various healthy sandwiches and salads. They avoided talking about the case during the meal, savoring the good food. Once again, Jim silently thanked Blair for bringing them there, his first bad impression forgotten. He had noticed that Mulder hadn't appeared very happy about it either, but the FBI agent was now digging into his pasta salad like a starving man. Scully and Blair looked like they had just died and gone to heaven. Jim was appreciative of the relaxing effect the place had on him. The nice feeling that had enveloped him was still present and he made a mental note to come back here. 

When they were done, Blair called the waiter and ordered a fresh fruit compote for four and mint tea. 

"I'm full," said Mulder. 

"Me too," said Scully. 

"Don't say that until you've tried it. You _have_ to try their fruit compote. It's made from fresh seasonal fruit, mostly local, simmered in a great wine-and-herb sauce. Whipped cream on the side..." 

"Okay, you convinced me," said Mulder. 

"I'll give it a try," said Scully. 

"And the tea, oh, man. It's some of the best I've ever drunk. It's made with fresh mint and a little bit of green tea, just like the tradition in Morocco." 

"Easy, Chief, you're drooling," said Jim bemused. 

"You'll see when you've tried it," said Blair. 

* * *

"That was excellent, Chief. Why haven't you brought me there before?" 

"Well, the place is really new, open a month maybe, and I only discovered it myself last week. I was at the U doing some research for my thesis when Tobias brought me here." 

"You gotta thank the man." 

"Oh, yeah." 

They finally arrived at the museum and parked. They entered and asked the director to show them the room where the amulet had been displayed. He led them there and left. The room was still closed to the public and the area was encircled with the POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS yellow tape. The scene had been processed by Forensics during the night, so Jim wasn't sure that he could find something they hadn't. 

He carefully approached the pedestal holding the display case which had contained the piece of the amulet and scanned the area. Dialing up sight and touch, he crouched down, carefully examining the pedestal and its burden. He paid particular attention to the place where they joined and to the area around the lock. 

"Chief, could you give me your Swiss Army knife?" he asked, taking a plastic bag from his pocket. 

Blair handed over the knife. Mulder and Scully were assiduously checking the ventilation system and didn't appear to be in position to notice Jim using his senses. 

Taking the knife, Jim pulled out the tweezers and gently coaxed a tiny hair from the juncture of pedestal and case. He lifted it and put it in the bag, zipping it. Then he closed the knife and gave it back to his Guide. He held the bag to Blair's face and smiled. 

"I think we got something." 

"Hair? You really believe it belongs to the thief?" asked Blair. 

"Dunno. But it's right where a hair might get caught if someone were crouched down, giving this thing the once-over. Not exactly the position the average museumgoer would take -- or even the staff. It's worth a shot." 

Mulder and Scully were back and Mulder took the plastic bag from Jim's hand, holding it to his face. "Hair?" It was short and dark. 

"Yeah," said Jim. 

"And you believe it's from the thief?" asked Mulder, snorting. 

"Listen, pal. I'm not saying it's definitely from the thief, but it's worth a try." 

"He's right," said Scully. "If we can identify a suspect, it might be possible to run a DNA test and see if we get a match." 

"Thank you," said Jim. 

"I know that," said Mulder. "I'm just saying that it's probably from one of the Forensics guys." 

"Maybe, maybe not," said Blair. "They're pretty careful." 

Suddenly Jim stopped and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath and sniffed. 

"What's wrong with him?" asked Mulder. 

"Uh, nothing," said Blair, hurrying to Jim's side. "Jim! Jim, come on, man." 

Jim opened his eyes and looked at his Guide. "It's okay, Chief. I wasn't zoning," he whispered. 

"Do you have something?" asked Blair. 

"Yeah. Perfume and Russian cigarettes." 

"What?" asked Mulder, who had approached them. 

"I can smell cologne, Dolce & Gabana, and Russian cigarettes." 

"Yeah, right, and I'm Mickey Mouse," said Mulder. 

"Mulder!" reprimanded Scully. 

"He's got a really good sense of smell," said Blair. 

"It's possible, Mulder. He's right. Some people do have an exceptional sense of smell. So you can detect cologne and Russian cigarettes?" 

"Yes." 

"Couldn't it be from one of the Forensics team or someone for the Museum?" 

"I don't think so. Most of our forensics people don't smoke, and if they do, their tastes run to plain old American brands. Besides I smelled the same on the hair in that bag." 

"So it could be from the same person who lost that hair," said Scully. 

"Exactly. And my guess is that it's from the thief. Let's go back to HQ and talk to Forensics." 

"Hey, Serena," said Blair. 

"Hello, Blair. Jim." 

"Serena, these are FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully. Agents, meet Serena Chang, Head of Forensics." 

They shook hands and Jim took the plastic bag from his pocket. 

"Could you get a DNA test run on this?" asked Jim. 

Serena blinked a few times at the plastic bag and finally noticed the hair. "Oh." Taking a magnifying glass from her desk, she examined it more closely. "Well, you've got the follicle end, so there's a good chance we'll get something usable. Where's the sample you want to match it against?" 

Jim turned on the charm. "Well, we don't exactly have one. Yet." 

Serena lifted an eloquent eyebrow. "Are you seriously asking me to run a DNA analysis on _spec_? Do you have any idea how time-consuming and labor-intensive an RFLP test is? And therefore _expensive_? Tell him, Blair." 

"Well," Blair admitted, "it does utilize radioactive reagents that require special lab procedures. The PCR test is faster and simpler but nowhere near as convincing." 

Scully nodded. "It's a difference of one individual in billions versus one in thousands. Obviously RFLP makes a lot stronger case if and when comes to prosecution." 

"How did I get surrounded by DNA experts?" Jim grumbled. 

Blair shrugged. "Hey, anthropologists use DNA all the time -- to identify and clarify relationships among human groups, both extinct and extant." 

"And Scully here," Mulder pointed out rather proudly, "is an M.D." 

"Really? That is so cool." Blair moved closer to the redhead. "That's unusual, to get a degree like that and then go into law enforcement. Why did you decide on a move like that?" 

"Long story." Scully smiled enigmatically. "You're an anthropologist? How did you manage to end up in a police department?" 

"Even longer story. And I'm not a doctor yet -- the Ph.D. kind, I mean, although I will be soon, knock wood. And I'm only a humble and underpaid consultant." 

"Do you think," Jim interrupted testily, "you could do your career counseling some other time? We've got a case to work on here." He turned to Mulder. "What about running the sample against that DNA database you guys have?" 

"CODIS? We could try, but right now it's almost exclusively sex offenders, with a smattering of other violent offenders. Not a likely place to find a nice peaceable thief." 

"You want me to run an expensive DNA test on spec to catch a _thief_?" Serena almost shouted. 

"Catchy title," Mulder mumbled. Scully shot him a look. 

Jim looked pained. "Serena, you didn't used to be such a bean counter about this sort of thing." 

"I didn't used to be responsible for the Forensics budget," she countered. 

"Uh, Serena?" Blair's voice was soft, his eyes widened in full puppy-dog mode. "Didn't you say you had a couple of new techs?" 

"Yeesss..." she admitted suspiciously. 

"And didn't you tell me a couple of days ago that you wished they had more experience in RFLP analysis?" 

Serena sighed. You could almost see the white flag go up. "Yes. Damn you, Blair..." 

"Come on," Blair enthused, "sounds like we've got a win-win situation shaping up here." 

"Oh, all right," she capitulated. "But if you don't come up with a comparison sample eventually I'm telling Simon to take the cost of this little exercise out of your salaries. I suppose you need the results..." 

"Yesterday," said Jim, smiling at the woman. 

"Don't push your luck." 

"Thanks," said Jim. "We owe you." 

"Yeah. I'll put in on your extensive tab." 

* * *

It was almost 5:00 pm by the time they were back at Jim's desk. 

"Hey," exclaimed Blair suddenly, as if he had just had an epiphany. 

"What?" asked Jim. 

"Maybe I could call Tobias to see if he knows something about the amulet." 

"Tobias?" asked Mulder. 

"Yes. He's one of my old mentors -- taught me everything I know about research. He's still working at the U. Maybe he knows a little more about the amulet." 

"You think that it could help us find the thief?" asked Scully. 

"I don't know, but it could help us to understand the thief's motivation." 

"Which could help to narrow the search," added Jim. 

"Maybe," said Mulder. 

"We can't do much more until we get the results of the test. So we may as well go and see him." 

As if to reinforce Blair's suggestion, his cell phone rang. 

"Sandburg." 

"Hello, Blair. This is Tobias." 

"Tobias, we were just talking about you. We're planning on paying you a visit." 

"Great minds think alike, my boy. I was calling because I need to talk to you." 

"Where are you?" 

"I'm at my place, and I really need to talk to you." 

Jim frowned, hearing the same tremor in the old man's voice that caused Blair's heart rate to speed up. 

"Well, we can be there in twenty." 

"I'll be waiting." 

"Bye." 

"Bye." 

"I hope nothing's wrong, Chief," said Jim. 

"What do you mean?" asked Mulder, staring at Jim, who was staring with equal intensity at Blair. 

"It was Tobias," said Blair. "He needs to talk to me. Guess our visit will be worth it." 

Before Mulder could ask any more questions, Blair added, "We should go." 

* * *

"What is wrong with that guy?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Scully, you saw it like I did." 

"Saw what?" 

"He noticed that tiny hair where no normal person could." 

"So? He has pretty good sight, that's all." 

"And the smell of cologne and cigarettes? Russian cigarettes. He even told us _what_ cologne it was." 

"He can have a pretty good sense of smell too," suggested Scully, shrugging her shoulders. 

Mulder glanced sideways at his partner. "Oh, yeah? And what about the fact that he was hoping that everything would be okay for that other guy? How could he have known what the man on the phone was telling Sandburg?" 

"I don't know, Mulder. Maybe he has pretty good hearing? Or maybe he's just very tuned in to his partner. That's been known to happen." 

"Sure. Or the guy's on drugs." 

"Ellison can't be on drugs and you know it. As a detective, he's tested regularly." 

"Yeah. But then how do you explain what he does?" 

"As we discussed earlier, it's probable that he has some senses developed beyond the norm. I know a lot of cases where people have one, two or even three heightened senses." 

Mulder huffed and glanced again at the woman, then went back to staring at the road. "I tell you, Scully, if he starts doing other weird stuff, I'm gonna have words with him." 

Scully shook her head and decided to drop the subject. She knew of more than a few people with one or two exceptional senses. Although the scientist in her was intrigued, she doubted Ellison would appreciate her or Mulder questioning him about that. The man needed to be respected as a fellow professional, not treated like an extra-large lab rat. But it wasn't surprising that he'd intrigued her partner -- although Mulder's interest was no doubt less than scientific. He was probably wishing for a sample of Ellison DNA so he could expose the poor man as some new breed of alien. 

* * *

"So he didn't say anything, then?" 

"No. Just said he needed to talk to me." 

"You think it's about the amulet?" 

"I don't know, Jim. Maybe. In any case, I'm sure he's got a book somewhere about the amulet." 

"Chief, what are you expecting?" 

"Probably nothing to help us with the case. Or, just as I told you before, maybe enough to help us narrow the search. But I'm curious about the legends," he said, grinning. 

"That's my man," said Jim, placing his hand on the young anthropologist's thigh and squeezing. 

* * *

Twenty minutes later they were at Tobias's place. Blair buzzed the intercom. 

"Yes?" 

"Tobias , it's Blair. I'm with Jim and two FBI agents." 

"FBI agents?" 

"Yes. But don't worry, there's nothing wrong." 

"Come on in." 

The door buzzed. Blair opened it and they went in, heading to McFee's apartment. The old man was waiting at his door. When Blair saw him, he immediately rushed to his friend's side. 

"Come on, Tobias. You should be careful." 

"It's all right, my boy. I'm starting to walk again. I'm getting very tired of that wheelchair." 

Blair helped McFee inside and led him back to the sofa. 

"Thank you," said Tobias, sitting. "Please, take a seat, gentlemen, ma'am." 

"Mister McFee, I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, and this is my partner, Special Agent Dana Scully." 

"Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea?" 

"Coffee, please," said Mulder. 

"Coffee for me too," said Scully. 

"I'll take a guess that it will be coffee for you too, James?" 

Jim smiled. "Yes, good guess indeed. Thank you, Tobias." 

"Blair, would you care to help me into the kitchen?" 

"Of course," said Blair, standing up and wheeling Tobias's wheelchair next to the sofa. 

Tobias stood up and transferred himself into the wheelchair. "Would you please wheel me to the bedroom first?" 

"Uh, sure," said Blair, changing direction and heading down the hallway. 

"Could you close the door behind you, my boy?" 

Blair did so and waited. 

"I'd like to show you something," said Tobias, opening his nightstand drawer and pulling out a small folded scarf. "Please, sit." 

Sitting on the bed, Blair accepted the packet McFee was holding out to him. He unfolded the scarf and went almost white. "Is... is this what I think it is?" 

"Yes, it is." 

"Oh boy." 

"I won't give you the whole story, it would take too long, but a dear friend of mine trusted me to keep this piece of the amulet safe for him. It's been in his family since the beginning and he was its guardian. But, as he felt menaced, he passed it over to me. I'm too old for that kind of responsibility. The amulet won't be safe with me. I couldn't protect it the way it needs. Blair, I'm trusting you and that detective of yours to watch over it for me." 

Blair's hands were trembling and he took a few deep breaths before speaking. "God, Tobias, this thing must be worth a lot of money. I don't know what to say." 

"Please, say _yes_. It will set my mind at rest." 

"In that case... yes. I'm honored that you trust me so much -- me and Jim." 

"Thank you, my boy. I know it will be safe with you." 

"Yeah, I guess." 

"Well, time to go prepare that coffee or they're going to think we escaped through the window." 

Blair and Tobias started to laugh. The young man folded the scarf back, stood up and placed the amulet in his pocket. He opened the door and wheeled McFee out. Then they went to the kitchen to prepare coffee. 

Mulder and Scully were waiting, not saying a word, watching Jim closely. The detective had been acting strangely since his partner disappeared into the bedroom with the old man, as if he were listening to something far away. When the bedroom door opened, he had shaken his head as if to clear his mind and come back to reality. 

A few minutes later, Blair and McFee were back with coffee and home-made cookies. They arranged everything on the coffee table then Blair sat on the sofa. 

"Tobias, we'd like to ask you something," said Jim. 

"Yes?" 

"It's about an amulet," said Mulder. 

Jim's jaw clenched. 

McFee looked at the FBI agent, his face pale, and Jim could hear his heartbeat speeding up. 

"Um, yes?" said the old man. 

"What do you know about the Owichika amulet?" 

"Well, I saw in today's newspaper that a piece had been stolen." 

"That's what we're investigating," said Blair. 

Scully and Mulder shot him a look, but Blair ignored them. 

"We'd like to know the legends about it. I remember some but it's been so long. I'm sure you have a book somewhere?" Blair shared a smile with McFee and the older man relaxed a little. 

"If it's about legends, then I'm your man. Blair, would you be so kind and go to the bookcase over there. On the third shelf, fourth book on the left, it's about Andean mythology." 

"Of course," said Blair standing up. He went to the bookcase, took down the book and came back. 

Tobias opened it and laid it on the coffee table. There was a picture of the amulet, in color, with text on the facing page. 

"The account of the legend is about fifty pages. I read it this morning." 

"May I ask you why?" asked Scully. 

Tobias looked up suddenly, then spoke. "Well... after I saw the newspaper, I remembered bits of the legend, so I searched for this book and re-read the whole story." 

"What is it about?" asked Mulder. 

"Hundreds of years ago, a so-called 'watchman' from one of the peoples later incorporated into the Inca empire was patrolling the jungle around his village. It was his regular task to search for animals for hunting. Suddenly there was a light in the sky like a lightning bolt. It hit a rock formation a few miles away from where he stood and the watchman passed out. When he woke up, he was next to the pile of rocks that had been hit by the lightning. He didn't know how he got there or how much time had passed, but he knew it was some hours later. When he stood up, he saw a piece of jewelry on the rocks. According to the tales, there also was a _huaca_ standing next to him. A _huaca_ from the Two Rivers." 

"A _huaca_?" asked Scully. 

" _Huaca_ ," Blair explained, "is a kind of generic term for gods, idols, spirits -- a lot of Andean oral traditions tell of the adventures of the great _huacas_. And the Two Rivers was what the Inca called the Milky Way. Many of the ruins they left suggest they were very sophisticated astronomers." 

"And according to what Spanish and Quechua texts survive, as well," Tobias went on. Anyway, the _huaca_ \-- or as some later interpreters claim, the alien -- told the tribal watchman to guard the piece of the amulet, and that, fifty years later, another piece would be sent to another tribe." 

"What did the watchman do?" asked Blair in fascination. 

"He told the shaman of the tribe and they hid the amulet. At that time, these 'watchmen' were quite common among the Andean peoples and other South American tribes. Before the watchman who found the amulet died, he passed it to the next watchman, telling him the story and warning him that the pieces must forever stay separate." 

"What happened then?" asked Blair again, his eyes growing even wider. He had heard stories about the amulet but never that one. 

"Well, the same pattern repeated itself three more times. It took a hundred fifty years." 

"But why is it called the Amulet of Chaos?" asked Mulder. 

"Apparently, the _huaca_ that was sent with the last piece of the amulet told the watchman that the pieces should be kept separate and spread all over the world. He said that the amulet was the key to a gate between the upper and lower worlds and that they needed to hide it. He also said that if the pieces of the amulet should ever be joined, he who possessed it would be the Master of both upper and lower worlds." 

Scully and Jim shook their heads in disbelief, but Mulder and Blair were hanging on Tobias's every word. 

"The Inca had a complex religious system," Blair began to lecture. "Dualities like that are common throughout the whole Andean region. They were concerned with linkages between the upper and lower worlds and with the two cardinal points... a four-part artifact would fit right in with their cosmology." 

"The _huaca_ \-- or the alien -- also said that if the amulet were re-joined, the world would be destroyed. The amulet would open the gateway between the worlds and Earth would be sucked into 'the whirlpool of endless night'." 

"Sounds like the description of a black hole to me," Mulder commented. "How would Indian tribes more than five centuries ago know about black holes? That theory is less than a hundred years old." 

Scully shook her head. "It's just as consistent with the mythological system of a people who were known to have cults connected to the organization of sacred time and space; who followed the cycles of astronomical bodies like Venus and the Pleiades." 

Mulder's eyes went wide. "Scully, you never cease to amaze me." 

"I haven't spent all my time over an autopsy table, although sometimes it feels that way." She turned to Blair. "Am I right?" 

He nodded. "And with such a long seacoast, the idea of a whirlpool wouldn't be foreign to the Inca or pre-Inca civilizations. Their world-view included some really amazing concepts, much closer to post-Newtonian physics than anything in the West. For example, there's an important Quechua word, _pacha_ , that means--" 

"Both time and space," Jim finished. 

"And you don't believe that ideas like that show possible extraterrestrial influence?" 

"Oh, give me a break -- don't tell me you believe that crap! Sorry, Tobias." 

Mulder turned to Blair. "What about you? You looked pretty interested." 

"I admit I've been known to espouse theories that aren't exactly in the anthropological mainstream. But the insistence that any sophisticated concepts or artifacts in the Americas had to be the result of absorption -- whether from space aliens or ancient Egypt or Atlantis -- well, it's more than a little insulting to the indigenous people. Sometimes it steers uncomfortably close to racism or at least cultural chauvinism." 

"Sometimes it crashes right into it," Jim growled. "Just because a people doesn't have sophisticated technology doesn't mean..." 

"Gentlemen!" Scully interrupted loudly. "May I remind you that we are alleged professionals, in the middle of a case? We obviously have a chicken and egg problem here, and we're not likely to solve it. Nor are we going to solve the actual case we're investigating if we continue arguing. Whatever it is, it's been stolen from its rightful owner, and that's a crime." 

Tobias broke the sheepish silence that followed. "Some people believe it really is an artifact of alien origin, others believe the legends grew up around the pieces simply to frighten and discourage those who might want to steal them for their obvious material value." 

"What about the different pieces?" asked Mulder. "How did they survive this long? How do we know some of them didn't get melted down and shipped to Spain?" 

"When the Conquistadors came, tales of their lust for gold soon made their way from Cuzco to the provinces. Those who guarded the artifacts fled into the rainforest or the mountains. Through eventual intermarriage with Europeans, and emigration, they indeed became scattered throughout the world. Two are kept in safe places, each having been given to a guardian. There exists substantial hearsay evidence at least that these have survived. The two other pieces were in museums, of course, and seen by thousands, perhaps millions. But, as you already know, one was stolen last night and the other was immediately removed from its museum, presumably returned to its guardian." 

"So three are now in the hands of their guardians and one is roaming around loose," said Mulder. 

"You summarized it perfectly, young man," said Tobias. 

"Tobias," said Jim. "I don't believe it has been stolen for its gold." 

"You're right, James. That piece was beautiful, I agree. But despite its monetary value, it doesn't seem the most logical target for the average thief. There are more important and more valuable pieces in the Archaeology Museum than the amulet." 

"Then it's been stolen because of the legend?" asked Mulder. 

"That I don't know, young man," said Tobias. "Even to one who really believes the legend, a single piece isn't worth it. It is no use by itself and has no power. But if the thief knows where the other pieces are, or even thinks he does -- that would be another story." 

"Well, thank you very much, Tobias," said Jim standing up. "I think we took up enough of your time. You've been really helpful." 

"Always my pleasure, James." 

Tobias stood up, even as Blair was telling him to go slowly, and accompanied his guests to the door. 

* * *

Jim looked at his watch. It was already 7:30 pm. "I think it's time to go back to our place," he said. "You want to come to the loft for dinner?" 

"No, thanks," Mulder replied. "I'm going to head back to the hotel, grab a little something to eat and go straight to bed." 

"Yes, I'm exhausted," said Scully. "You must be, too." 

The Cascade men smiled in understanding and said goodnight, then all headed to their respective cars. By the time they reached the truck, Jim and Blair had decided that neither felt up to cooking; leftovers from the fridge and an early night would suit them just fine. 

As Jim started the truck, Blair said, "Jim, Tobias gave me something tonight. I don't want to talk about it here -- I'll show you when we get home." 

Jim glanced sideways at him, nodded, and turned his attention back to the road. 

* * *

Mulder and Scully agreed to grab sandwiches at the coffee shop next to their hotel. After their meal, Mulder walked Scully to her room and told her goodnight. Then he headed toward his own room. Removing and hanging up his coat, he kicked off his shoes. He undressed, removed his holster and laid it on the desk. Taking a deep breath, he went into the bathroom and started the shower. 

Coming back from the bathroom, naked and damp, he was startled to find the room in darkness. Mulder suddenly felt he wasn't alone. "What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, reaching for his gun. It was no longer on the desk where he'd left it. 

"Just wanted to tell you to drop the case," said Alex Krycek, stepping into the moonlight that was shining through the window. 

"In your dreams, Krycek," said Mulder, turning to face him. 

Krycek stepped closer, his chest almost touching Mulder's, his gun barrel against the FBI Agent's belly. 

"Drop the case. You don't know what you're searching for. It's not only a key, it's much more powerful than that." 

"What do you want?" asked Mulder. 

Krycek didn't answer but licked his lips erotically and took another step forward, his gun now pressing against Mulder's side. They were chest to chest, touching. Mulder felt his heart beat faster. 

"What do you want?" repeated Mulder. 

"Nothing. Drop the case -- or people are going to die." 

"Is that a threat?" asked Mulder. 

"No. A promise." 

With that, Krycek put the gun back in his pocket, slid his hand behind Mulder's neck and pulled him even closer, pressing his lips against the other man's. This time Krycek didn't break the kiss. He pushed his tongue inside Mulder's mouth and licked the tongue that was welcoming him. The contact was slow, strong, hot, velvety and enticing. 

Before Mulder could react further, Krycek had pulled away and was leaving. " _Oudarshi tiebie, Tovarish_ ," he whispered, slipping through the door. 

Mulder stood there for a long time, shivering and hard, staring at the half-open door. When he finally recovered from the intoxicating sensations and the shock, he moved to close it. He went back to the desk and opened the left drawer. His holster and gun were inside. 

He touched his lips with his fingertips then traced a path along his chest, where Krycek's leather jacket had touched his skin, where the Russian's black tee-shirt had caressed him. He could still feel warmth burning against his body, could still smell his cologne. 

He shook his head, dismissing the erotic thoughts, and headed back to the bathroom. 

* * *

The next morning Blair was awakened by Jim sucking on his left nipple. He moaned and slipped his hand behind his lover's head, pulling him closer. He slid his other hand down his own chest and closed his fist around his half-erect cock. 

"Hey! That's my job," mumbled Jim around the nipple in his mouth. 

"So why aren't you doing it?" asked Blair, tugging on Jim's short hair to bring him up for a kiss. 

Jim pushed Blair's hand aside and maneuvered himself between his lover's legs, rubbing his erection against the younger man's thigh in the process. Blair lifted his legs a little and squirmed under Jim until the taller man was just where Blair wanted him to be. 

"Yeah," he moaned, when his erection rubbed against Jim's. 

"Oh, yeah," echoed Jim. Then he started to thrust gently. 

"Wait," said Blair. 

"What?" 

Blair didn't answer but reached on the nightstand to grab the lube. "Roll over," he gently commanded. 

Jim's cock twitched at the whispered order and then he did as he was asked, rolling over on the bed and lying on his belly. Grabbing a pillow, he slipped it beneath him and rested his head on his folded arms. 

Blair gently caressed him while licking the small of his back. He kissed his way further down and gently bit one buttock, then the other. Jim groaned deep in his throat and was rewarded by another bite. Blair grabbed his lover's cheeks and spread them revealing Jim's opening. Bending down, he flicked the tip of his tongue out and gave a quick lick to that intimate place. 

"Jesus, Blair." 

Blair grinned and did it again, pushing his tongue a little harder, and the tip of it slipped inside Jim. He thrust it in and out a few times then kissed his way further down, kissing the back of Jim's balls. 

Jim was trembling beneath Blair's kisses and questing hands and Blair quit playing. He took the tube of lube he had abandoned on the bed, opened it and squeezed some on his fingers. He closed his hand a couple of times to warm it up, then slid a slick index finger between Jim's buttocks. 

Groaning in frustration, Jim spread his legs wider. "Do it, Blair. Please." 

Blair slid the tip of his finger around Jim's entrance, then pushed it halfway in gently and easily. He thrust a few times, quickening the rhythm, Jim's hips pushing back to take more into himself. Blair quickly added a second finger and kept thrusting for another few moments. 

When Jim was loose enough, he slid his fingers out of his lover and was rewarded by a grunt of disappointment. He took a condom, opened it and rolled it on his rock-hard erection, then slicked it with lube. He positioned himself against Jim's opening and grabbed his lover's hips. 

Feeling the head of Blair's penis poking him sent a jolt of pleasure and need through Jim's body and he pushed back, lifting himself up on his knees. The movement caused the head of Blair's cock to slip into Jim and they both groaned. Blair pushed a little more and slipped half way in. Then he slid completely out. 

"Shit!" yelled Jim. "Stop teasing, for god's sake." 

Blair grinned and pushed back in easily. He waited a few seconds, then pushed again, sliding all the way in this time. He gave Jim a minute to adjust then started to pull out. He began a slow in and out movement while Jim thrust back to take more of Blair. After only a brief moment, the young man quickened his lovemaking, thrusting deep, hard, and fast into his lover. Sweat covered their bodies, and nothing existed any more but the two of them. 

Jim let his head fall forward and closed his eyes, he was going to go crazy. He cried out when Blair's hand closed around his painful erection and he bit his bottom lip. Blair started to pump Jim's cock hard and fast, matching the movements of his hips. It didn't take long before Jim came, his whole body spasming, releasing his seed. 

Jim's orgasm triggered Blair's, and the young man wasn't able to control himself any longer. Jim's muscles massaging his cock sent Blair over the edge. He threw his head back and slammed into Jim even harder and faster, trembling violently. 

They fell boneless on the bed. Blair pulled out of Jim carefully and took care of the condom. They lay together for a few minutes, taking time to catch their breaths, then headed to the bathroom for their morning rituals. 

* * *

After their shower and breakfast, Jim and Blair headed to Major Crime. They went straight to Jim's desk and removed their jackets. "I'm gonna get coffee," said Blair. 

Jim nodded and was checking the messages on his desk when his phone rang. He groped for the receiver, sorting through the pile of message slips. "Detective Ellison." 

A distorted, electronic voice emerged from the phone. "Detective, we're going to make this quick." 

"Who is this?" 

"You don't need to know. All you need to do is look at the package that should be coming to you this morning by messenger." 

"And why would I want to do that?" 

"A little bird told us you're trying to match some DNA found at the scene of a museum burglary. A word to the wise." 

"But how do you--" Jim was suddenly talking to a dial tone. He hung up the phone and stared at it. 

"Jim? Are you zoning on me?" 

Jim looked up startled. Blair was standing in front of the desk, a cup of coffee in each hand and a worried look on his face. "No, I'm OK. Would you do me a favor?" 

Blair handed over one of the coffees. "Sure, what?" 

"Run over to Communications and tell them I need a tape of the call that just came in to my number. ASAP. It's important." 

"OK, but what are you going to be doing?" 

"Waiting for the mail." 

By the time Blair came back with the tape, Jim had discovered a message on his desk from Agent Scully. She and Mulder had to fly back to DC, but she promised they'd return the following day. Jim smiled. At least twenty-four hours without federal interference. Things were looking up. 

Before he could finish telling his partner what had just happened, a uniformed officer came in, escorting a tattooed and studded specimen in bike shorts. Hair of a color not found in nature sprouted from beneath his helmet. 

"Sorry, Detective," the officer apologized. "This guy from Hermes Messenger Service insists he has to deliver this to you personally." 

"You Ellison?" The apparition asked. "Can ya prove it?" 

The man in blue sputtered. "Why, you little--" 

Jim waved a hand. "It's all right, Gutierrez." He flipped open his ID and held it next to his face. 

Mr. Bike Shorts leaned in and peered at both. "OK. I guess you're him. Man, you look older than that. Must be the hair." He handed over the flat package. 

Jim snatched it and glared at the outstretched hand. "You want a tip? Here's one -- don't tell a guy he's decrepit when he's carrying a gun." 

Grinning Gutierrez herded the grumbling messenger out the door. 

Jim opened the envelope and swore. "Shit, this looks like it's in Russian." He handed it over to Blair. 

Blair whistled. "A DNA profile! I'll be damned." 

"Probably. What's it say?" 

"What's interesting is what it doesn't say. There's nothing here to indicate the name of the lab or the technician." He pointed to a group of letters in the corner. "That means Siberia." 

"Does it say who it's a profile of?" 

Blair moved his finger. "Yeah, right there." He scribbled on a piece of paper and handed it to Jim. "That's the English equivalent." 

Jim looked at the paper, frowning. "Doesn't mean anything to me." 

"So what do we do now?" 

"Let's get down to Forensics and make Serena's day. We'll give her this to run a match when that DNA test gets finished. Then I want to listen to this tape." 

"And after that," Blair suggested, "let's see what we can find out about our mystery man." 

Both got up and headed toward the hallway. "Yeah, do some real police work for a change. Maybe even get something done on one of our other cases. The ones our Fed friends don't care about." 

"Mulder's kind of a pain, but Scully seems pretty good at keeping him in line." 

"Yeah, she's OK," Jim agreed. "Short, smart and feisty -- just the way I like 'em." 

"I'd better keep an eye on you," Blair countered. "You've always been susceptible to redheads." 

As they waited for the elevator, Jim leaned down to whisper in the smaller man's ear. "Chief, have I ever told you how red your hair looks in the sunlight?" 

* * *

The next afternoon Jim was sitting at his desk alternately drumming his fingers and getting up to prowl around the bullpen. Simon had already threatened twice to call Animal Control and tell them to bring their tranquilizer darts. The donut girl made no secret of her plan to shove one of her wares down Detective Ellison's throat whole and insert another -- one with sprinkles -- where the sun didn't shine. 

Blair was about to suggest either extended meditation or a whack upside the head when Jim's phone rang and he grabbed it. 

"Ellison!" The bark was worthy of a seal with a sore throat. He listened quietly for a moment, then a huge smile softened his face. "It's definitely a match, then? Thanks, Serena, you're a goddess." 

He hung up the phone and turned to Blair. "Remind me to send that woman flowers." 

"Yeah, sure. While I remind her not to kill you. She could probably figure out how to get away with it. So it is this Krycek guy?" 

"It sure is, and an interesting fellow he appears to be." 

Blair flipped through the rather thin folder that sat on Jim's desk. "What's really interesting is how little there was -- rather, how little that wasn't classified." 

"Yeah. Between my old covert ops contacts and Jack Kelso, I was sure we'd be able to dig up more." 

Blair nodded. "Do you think our Fed friends might..." 

Jim nudged Blair and fixed his eyes on the door. "Why don't you just wait a minute or two and you can ask them yourself?" 

"Afternoon," said Jim as Mulder and Scully reached his desk. 

"Afternoon," answered the Feds. 

"I know who stole the amulet," said Mulder, at the same time that Jim said, "We've got a match." 

"Alex Krycek," they said at the same time. 

"Shit!" exclaimed Jim. "How do you know that?" 

"I, uh, I had a little visit night before last," said Mulder. 

"From Krycek?" asked Jim. 

"Yes." 

"What did he want?" asked Blair. 

"To tell me to drop the case." 

"Did he say why?" asked Jim. 

"Just that people were gonna die if I didn't drop the case." 

"What do you know about him?" asked Blair. 

Mulder and Scully shared a look. 

"It's classified," said Scully. 

"Of course," said Jim. "So I take it you do know the man?" 

"Yes," said Scully. "He's an assassin, a thief and a natural born bastard." 

"Well, that explains it all," snorted Blair. 

"It's not funny," said Jim. "What are we supposed to do now?" 

"First of all," demanded Mulder, "how the hell did you find out about Krycek?" 

"An anonymous phone tip, followed by an envelope delivered by messenger -- containing a DNA profile of Krycek. The DNA matched the hair we found at the scene." 

"Interestingly enough," Blair added, "the messenger service said the package originally came from the DC area. Isn't that a coincidence?" 

Mulder looked at Scully. Scully looked at Mulder. "Could you tell anything about the phone call?" 

"It was pretty short," Jim admitted. "No time to even ask for a trace. But we tape all incoming calls, so we spent a lot of time yesterday analyzing it. It was distorted by one of those electronic devices. Despite that, we could tell it was three different voices speaking. Probably male." 

"Three guys?" Mulder frowned. 

"Yeah, isn't that odd?" Blair asked. 

"Odd," sighed Scully, "doesn't begin to describe it." 

"I'm afraid we can't do much more with this," said Mulder. "We now have a new case in Nevada we need to check into, then it's back to DC. We'll follow up on the investigation from there, according to what we know about Krycek. Based on what we do know, I don't think we have much of a chance of finding the missing piece of the amulet." 

"So you're telling me to drop the case and act as if nothing happened?" asked Jim, incredulously. 

"That's about the size of it," said Mulder. "We could have just called, but we thought we owed it to you to tell you in person." 

"Let me tell you something," said Jim, standing up. "I'm not used to leaving a case open." 

Before Mulder or Scully could answer, Simon, who had heard the raised voices, opened his door. 

"Ellison, Sandburg, my office. You two as well," he said, pointing his index fingers at the FBI agents. 

* * *

Jim closed the door behind them. 

"Sir, I don't want to just drop this." 

"Whoa, Jim. Care to take it back to the start?" said Simon, puffing on his cigar. 

"The short version, Sir. We found some hair in the museum, Serena ran a DNA test on it and it appears to belong to a man by the name of Alex Krycek, said man having paid a little visit two nights ago to our pal from the FBI over here." 

Simon stopped puffing and looked at Mulder. "Want to explain, Agent Mulder?" 

"There's nothing to explain, sir. I came out of the bathroom. He was in my room. He pushed me against the wall," Mulder's voice broke slightly and he flushed. "Then he... he told me to drop the case or people would die. Then he ran away." 

"That's all?" 

"Yes." 

"Why didn't you run after him?" 

Mulder flushed even more but didn't flinch; he remained stoic. "I was surprised, naked, and he'd hidden my gun. Besides I knew it was no use, that he'd already have disappeared." 

"I see," said Simon. 

"And now," said Jim, "He wants us to drop the case and leave it unsolved." 

"Sir, with all due respect, if Krycek stole the amulet, you won't find it. He must already have left the state, maybe even the country. We're going to pursue the investigation once we're back in DC, but I have to be honest with you. There's little hope of apprehending someone like Krycek." 

"And so you're just going to forget it?" asked Simon incredulously. 

"Not exactly, but I don't see what more we can do at this point without more to go on. We've dealt with Krycek before and probably will again. Actually we're working for a department called the _X-Files_. We deal every day with plenty of cases that aren't resolved." 

"That's why you were sent here?" asked Blair. "Because you knew it was going to be a case for these 'X-Files'?" 

Mulder and Scully didn't answer that question. 

"We're sorry, Captain Banks," said Scully. "We had no idea when we first came that it was Krycek who stole the amulet. Since it now appears that he did steal it -- I can only repeat, you won't find him." 

"I'm afraid we have to leave now," added Mulder. 

Blair glanced at Jim. He was fuming. He slid one arm behind him, resting his hand on the small of his partner's back. Jim relaxed a little at the soothing touch but still looked as if he wanted to strangle Mulder. 

Simon looked at the FBI agents, then at Jim and Blair. He put his cigar in the ashtray, leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms on his chest. He kept staring from the Feds to his men. Finally he stood up. 

"Well, then, I won't keep you any longer," he announced, heading toward the door. He raised a hand to prevent Jim from complaining and said his goodbyes to the FBI agents. "Agent Mulder, Agent Scully. Have a nice trip. Detective Ellison and his partner will accompany you to the airport before they go home." He glared at Jim. "As a courtesy." 

"Yes, Sir," said Jim, gritting his teeth. 

"Come on, Jim," whispered Blair softly. "It's not their fault." 

"I know, but you know how I hate to just abandon a case." 

"Yeah, I know. I hate that too." 

They exited Simon's office and Jim looked back at his Captain. "Not a word," admonished Banks. Then he closed the door behind them. 

* * *

Blair rode with the FBI agents to the airport, where they returned their rental car, while Jim followed in the truck and parked in the airport garage. They met at the gate and waited while Mulder and Scully checked in. 

"It's been interesting working with you," said Blair. 

"Yes, it's been great meeting you," said Scully, shaking the anthropologist's hand. "It was fascinating to hear what you know about Andean mythology." 

"Sounds like you have some pretty interesting cases," said Blair, shaking Mulder's hand. "Maybe we could call each other to share stories? You must have a _few_ that aren't classified. Here's my card," he added, taking one from his pocket and giving it to Mulder. 

The FBI agent took out one of his cards and gave it to Blair. "Sure, any time. If you're ever in DC..." 

Blair accepted the card and risked a glance at Jim. He was sure he could see steam coming out of the man's ears and nostrils. 

"Good job, Detective," said Mulder, holding his hand out to Jim. 

"Yeah. Have a safe trip," answered Jim. Then he turned toward Scully. "Ma'am." 

"Detective." 

They watched the FBI agents pass through the gates and turned back to leave the airport. 

"You're really good at containing your joy, you know, Jim?" 

"Very funny, Chief." 

"No, really, man. You're really good at hiding your emotions." 

"Stop it, Sandburg." 

"Or what?" 

"Or you'll live like a monk for a week." 

"Yeah, like you could hold out. Abstinence doesn't suit you." 

Jim flipped him the finger then grabbed Blair by the neck, pulling him against his side. 

"Come on, Junior, time to go home." 

* * *

The ringing of the phone startled the old man. He stood up and went to answer. 

"Tobias McFee." 

"Hello, my friend. No, don't say a word. I don't have a lot of time. I'm fine, don't worry. They won't find me. I just wanted to let you know that I am still alive. Thank you for everything you did for me." And Antoine hung up. 

Tobias looked at the receiver, his hands shaking. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and felt the tears spill over. He thanked God that his friend's life had been spared and slowly put the receiver down. 

* * *

Somewhere in a vermin-infested room in Tunguska, Alex Krycek opened his suitcase and carefully took out a soft cloth. He unfolded it even more carefully and slid his fingers smoothly over something. He closed his eyes and smiled devilishly. Then he took the small object and held it in front of the desk lamp. It shone brightly, the shape of the half circle reflected on the wall behind him. 

* * *

Mulder closed the door of his apartment behind him. He was exhausted from the journey and wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a good night's rest. He approached his aquarium, opened it and pushed his fingers carefully into the gravel beside the aeration tube, sighing in relief as they touched the small square object hidden there. He retrieved a waterproof box and opened it, revealing a very small Indian bag made of leather. He opened it and took a little object out... a piece of gold in the shape of a quarter circle... the second piece of the amulet, the piece representing "The Place Beyond the World." A piece he had found among his father's belongings after he had been killed. He had been good at hiding from the Cascade men that he knew more about the amulet than he pretended to. 

* * *

At 852 Prospect, all was dark except one light in the bedroom. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" said Blair, staring at the gold circles that rested on his palm as he sat with his back against the pillows. 

"Yeah. Well, I guess that makes us one of the guardians of the world," Jim pointed out, smiling. 

"Oh, modest, aren't we?" 

"Nah, really. I'm glad to have it here." He picked it up and wrapped his fingers around it. "Feels just like a piece of jewelry to me. You'd think if this were really part of some world-destroying weapon I could sense something different about it." 

"Yeah, but it's not what we believe, but what other people believe about it. It's safe here, and nobody knows where it is," said Blair, resting his hand on his lover's bicep. 

"Nobody but Tobias." 

"We can trust him, Jim," said Blair. 

"I know. I just don't want anything more happening to the poor guy." 

"Me neither," said Blair, pulling Jim toward him and kissing him lovingly. "All the more reason for us to keep it instead of him." 

"You may call me James, Sentinel of the Great City and Guardian of the Amulet of Chaos." 

"Oh, put a sock in it," Blair replied rolling his eyes. 

"Actually, that might be a good place to hide it -- in a drawer, wrapped in some of your socks. Those argyles will keep anybody away." 

"Oh, you're a riot." Blair snatched the piece of gold from Jim and leaned over to drop it in the drawer of the nightstand. 

"Hey," Jim complained, "is that any way to treat a potential extraterrestrial weapon of mass destruction?" 

Blair's hand emerged grasping the lube. "Would you rather talk about supposed alien artifacts, or use up some of this?" 

Jim grinned and snapped to attention. "Fuck aliens!" 

Blair leaned over his eager lover. "No thanks. I'd much rather fuck you." 

"Oh, yeah." Jim spread his legs and pulled Blair against him, lips hungrily seeking his partner's. There would be no more discussions of alien weapons or Inca legends any time soon. 

But much later, as Jim snored softly beside him, Blair lay awake wondering... about the other pieces and who might hold them... about the strange journey at least one had made. Placed in the hands of a watchman -- surely a Sentinel -- centuries ago, it now rested in the care of another on a different continent. Surely it wasn't... no, it couldn't be. As the ancient light of distant stars rained down on the city of Cascade, he curled himself against the man beside him and slowly drifted into sleep. 

* * *

End SVS2-11: Guardians of the Gate by Carlito: FiveSenses@yahoogroups.com

Author and story notes above.

  
Disclaimer: _The Sentinel_ is owned etc. by Pet Fly, Inc. These pages and the stories on them are not meant to infringe on, nor are they endorsed by, Pet Fly, Inc. and Paramount. 


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